In a new study, researchers found feeling healthy is not a good indicator of a low heart disease risk.
People still need to do medical tests to check heart problems.
The research was conducted by a team from Johns Hopkins University.
Most people feel they have a general idea of how healthy they are based on their diet and exercise habits and how often they get sick.
But this information cannot accurately show their heart health.
In this study, the team examined medical information gathered on more than 6,800 people in the United States. At the start of the study, they were an average of 62 years old.
During the study, each participant was asked to rate his or her health at the beginning of enrollment as excellent, very good, good or poor/fair.
Additionally, each person had a coronary artery calcium scan, which is a computed tomography (CT) scan that detects plaque buildup in the arteries of the heart.
The researchers found that 10% of those who rated themselves in excellent health had measurable evidence of heart disease without symptoms.
These people have higher calcium artery scores, which means they have a higher risk for a heart attack or stroke.
The team suggests that a better way to predict heart disease risk is to combine self-reported perceptions of health with coronary artery calcium scans.
The finding is very important for public health because many people perceive themselves to be healthy but they may still have a strong heart disease risk
All adults would benefit from seeing a health care provider to get a more definitive assessment for their risk of disease, even if they think they’re healthy and feel they don’t need to visit the doctor.
The lead author of the study is Olusola Orimoloye, M.D., M.P.H., postdoctoral fellow.
The study is published in JAMA Network Open.
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